Shanghai Tower will be the world's second-tallest building — 2,073 feet high — eclipsed only by Dubai's 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa tower. After three decades of rapid development, China now faces labor and environmental problems, growing income inequality and a shrinking labor force. (AFP/Getty Images/ChinaFotoPress)

China stands at a pivotal point in history after more than three decades of robust growth and increasing prosperity. When economic progress slowed last year, many analysts said China faces a difficult transition to a period of more modest gains — or even a serious slowdown. The country's fast-paced development has led to growing income inequality and significant labor and environmental problems, while a rapidly aging population raises concerns about the future of China's workforce and how to take care of the elderly. Responding to public discontent with a system perceived as favoring the nation's elite, President Xi Jinping has vowed to root out corruption. But Xi also has cracked down on dissent and adopted a muscular foreign policy, raising tensions between China and its neighbors. While some analysts predict the imminent arrival of the “Chinese Century,” others say China's future is uncertain, given the many problems it faces.